Staff Writer

Congratulations – now go home and get to work.

That’s the message 17 students at Southern Maine Community College are getting this week as they wrap up a computer technology course in a public and private sector collaboration to create as many as 350 jobs.

Tuition for students enrolled in the eight-week, 72-hour course comes from a $550,000 grant funded by the Maine Quality Center, a part of the Maine Community College System. Finishing the course guarantees them a job interview with Massachusetts-based PlumChoice, a technical service provider that opened a “Center of Excellence” in Scarborough last year.

If hired, graduates will work at home to solve computing and technological problems with a starting wage of about $17 an hour. The jobs also include benefits, said Richard Surace, senior vice president of operations at PlumChoice.

“We expect a high-quality candidate pool to draw from,” Surace said.

For Jill Veilleux, an Acton resident now working as a shift leader at Dunkin’ Donuts, the class provides an opportunity that is hard to find in the southwest corner of the state.

Rich Fillmore, a Hollis resident who spent 25 years at then Spencer Press and later RR Donnelley before the plant in Wells closed for good in spring 2009, said he now has a chance to earn money after tinkering with computers as a hobby for about 30 years.

Timothy Haiss of Portland, said he was a carpenter before the construction market fell on hard times. He and Fillmore reminisced about taking apart Radio Shack and Commodore 64 computers 30 years ago, and Haiss said he found the course arduous.

“It took 15 minutes to read about the steps for two minutes of work,” he said.

Having earned associates degrees in computer technology from SMCC in May, the three were in a good position to learn about the new training program established last month, they said.

Applicants seeking to enroll at Maine Career Centers operated by the Maine Department of Labor are learning placement is not automatic, said Steve Palmer of SMCC, who has helped compile and evaluate about 500 applications for the program. Palmer said applications forwarded to him are then split into “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” categories.

Students interested in the course must be Maine residents who live within 200 miles of the Scarborough center even though they will work from home.

Other course and potential job requirements include owning a computer with up-to-date cyber security software, at least a Windows XP operating platform and a room in the house that can be converted to an office with a door that closes.

Course applicants are tested at a career center. If they pass, they meet with representatives from PlumChoice and SMCC before being accepted for training.

Brenda Beaulieu, a course instructor and training coordinator at SMCC, said the course is for students who are comfortable with both the hardware and software applications of electronic devices.

Harvey Burpee, the computer technology department chairman at SMCC, helped develop the screening tests for potential students and the college course, including a textbook, online practice exams and home study materials. The course combines 30 hours of work needed to earn the Microsoft certifications with 12 hours of customer service training.

Students who pass the course will earn two Microsoft certifications and an interview with PlumChoice for work as a service technician. Surace said company representatives are preparing to meet with the first 17 graduates of the course next week.

Once hired at PlumChoice, employees will get another five weeks of corporate training in client relations and technological certifications over the next year, Surace said.

PlumChoice, established nine years ago, provides technical services for a variety of devices, and often allows technicians access to a customer’s computer or cell phone to troubleshoot and solve problems, Surace said.

The Scarborough PlumChoice office currently employs about 125 people in customer service and sales, Surace said.

PlumChoice is committed to creating an at-home work force to serve corporate and private clients and provide jobs that have been often shipped overseas by other companies, according to Surace.

The willingness to collaborate with PlumChoice puts the state at what Surace called “the cutting edge” because it is willing to pay for the training as opposed to simply offering tax incentives for the company to relocate.

Just as technological or customer service demands of the job aren’t for everyone, not everyone is suited to work at home, Surace said.

“I think it might be a challenge to get recognition without an audience,” Haiss said.

Surace said work is monitored and a 95 percent success rate for “a first-time fix” is expected.

“Working from home is not for everybody, but it is a valid form of employment,” Surace said.

Beaulieu said the first three hours of the course are devoted to talking about setting up a home office.

“I don’t see it as a big issue, and it will save on gas,” said Veilleux, the student from Acton.

Surace said he was not certain all 350 graduates could be hired at PlumChoice, but because the courses will continue through December 2011 and company growth forecasts are optimistic, “the goal is to hire a substantial number.”

Surace said graduates of the course who are not hired still have marketable certifications earned through training funded through the Maine Quality Center grant.

As the course concluded, Burpee said he was pleased.

“They have all done an incredible job. They had the foundation and the knowledge, but there are a lot of details in certification training,” he said.

The second round of courses at SMCC begins Aug. 16 and concludes Oct. 8. The program of eight-week courses continues through December 2011, Burpee said. For more information on applying for training, visit a Maine Career Center or call or email Palmer at 741-5727 or spalmer2@smccme.edu.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219